The Varieties of Contemplative Experience: Context Matters Buddhist-derived meditation practices, particularly mindfulness meditation, are being applied to medical conditions, psychiatric disorders, schools, and businesses for stress reduction and the promotion of well-being. These secular applications are largely contextualized in a medical health model, without much attention to or knowledge of traditional Buddhist texts, which carefully …
One of the major debates in classical Indian philosophy concerned whether consciousness is present in dreamless sleep. Advaita Vedanta, Buddhism, and Sankhya-Yoga argued that consciousness is present in dreamless sleep, whereas Nyaya denies this. Consideration of this debate, especially the reasoning Advaita Vedanta used to rebut the Nyaya view, calls into question the standard neuroscience …
Science and Society: An Interactive Dialogue with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Richard J. Davidson, and Amishi Jha This session will involve an interactive dialogue regarding science and society between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and panelists Dr. Richard J. Davidson and Dr. Amishi Jha. The following questions will serve as anchoring themes: As we …
Epiphanies, Tensions, and Horizons: Pathways Forward In this session, we will reflect on the lessons from the day’s workshops, examine their implications for the fields of contemplative and transformative education, and outline potential pathways forward. We will consider the following questions: How did these conversations impact how we see ourselves and our work? What new …
